Lancôme X Lanvin

We know from past experience that make-up collaborations can lead to some really interesting products. Think Beth Ditto and M.A.C or Karl Lagerfeld and Shu Uemura. So as soon as we got wind of Lanvin’s Alber Elbaz teaming up with Lancôme, we set reminders for the launch date — June 15 — in our planners.

What makes the five-month wait more painful is the little 15-second animated teaser film that Lancôme has released this week, conceptualized by Elbaz with creative director Pascal Dangin of Box Studios.

Why we love it? The quirky, theatrical fashion characters sketched by Elbaz into a comical fashion show setting are a breath of fresh air in comparison to the remote ageless faces in many luxury make-up campaigns.

“Alber Elbaz is, without a doubt, one of the world’s most influential fashion designers. But beyond that, he is also the most talented," explains Youcef S. Nabi, Lancôme President. "His sense of luxury, his vision of femininity and that hint of audacity resonate perfectly with the new values of the Maison Lancôme. We are extremely proud and happy that, with us, he is set to channel his universe into the world of make-up for the very first time.”

If we put two and two together — Elbaz’s aesthetic signature for Lanvin (romantic and elegant) and the light-hearted satire of his sketches for Lancôme — then come June we’re expecting a cosmetic collection that’s both feminine and fun.